WisRWA Calendar

Nov 012017

WisRWA 2017-2018 RenewalsRenewals for the upcoming year begin November 1, 2017. Any renewal that is received after January 15, 2018 will be incur a $5.00 late fee. Click the Join tab to renew your membership. Please direct any questions to WisRWA Secretary, Stefanie Dowell.

Feb 122018

Stop Dissing Romance! Panel at Boswell Book CompanyJoin WisRWA at Boswell Book Company on February 12 at 7 PM for a presentation on the romance genre and its role in the publishing industry by a panel of Publishing Professionals. Bobbi Dumas, a freelance writer, book reviewer, romance advocate, and founder of Read a Romance Month will moderate. More information to follow.

Oct 062018

WisRWA 2018 Fall WorkshopMark your calendars for the 2018 Fall Workshop on October 5-6, 2018 at the Grand Lodge Waterpark Resort, Rothschild, WI. For more information, click the Workshop tab.

Green Bay Area Member, Nancy Sweetland will take us through the process of preparing for a writing contest. She will also share information about RWA's RITA award and Golden Heart contests as well as WisRWA's own Fabulous Five Contest and Write Touch Readers Award.

Winter is here! A cold wind is blowing, snow is falling, and ice makes walking out your own front door hazardous. There’s no better time to hunker down where it’s warm and WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! Bring examples, both good and bad, from what you’re reading and be prepared to discuss why it does or does not work.

Up Close and Personal: Achieving Intimacy through Voice and Deep POV with Heather Luby

Point of view isn’t just an element of storytelling—it is the foundation of any captivating story. Diving into a Deep POV and utilizing the tools of narrative voice is how we thrust our readers into the minds of our characters and push them into the fictional dream. In this fast paced, hands-on workshop, you will learn the key elements necessary to write immersive, voice driven prose. Come prepared to learn how character, dialogue, and voice work in tandem with Deep POV to leave your reader emotionally spellbound. It is recommended you bring 1-2 sample chapters of your own work for hands-on learning.

Karissa Zastrow will speak on “Social Media for Writers”. Her presentation will focus on tips and tricks to help you use the most popular social media platforms to promote your writing without burning hours of your precious writing time. Check our event on the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Facebook page and let us know if you are attending!

Is fear holding you back from realizing your dream? Are you afraid of the writing/publishing process, afraid of failing after all your best efforts, or, yes, even afraid of actually succeeding? Then this discussion is for you.

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Happy St. Pat’s day to all us wannabe Irish! Actually, according to my grandmother, I’m a bit Irish (very little bit, but her maiden name was Boyle, so maybe she wasn’t kidding).
Thought you might be interested in a blog post from BookBrowsing that came out this morning. Here it is: MARCH 17, 2016: If you’re not scared you’re not trying hard enough…by Nancy Sweetland
Good morning! I’m delighted to be a guest here and hope to give you something to think about as you head back to your computer and your work in progress. Going through my email today I ran across a great blog by Nick Stephenson, whom some of you may know as a coach and teacher. I always read through anything he feels important enough to comment on, and I often come away with a new idea, a different perspective and sometimes even the possibility for a plot.
What I came away with today was two comments that hit home. I’ve been mulling over them; perhaps you will, too: 1) “If you’re not scared, you’re not trying hard enough.” And, 2) “You don’t have to be THE BEST.”
These gave me pause. The first, about being scared of doing the work I really want to do, reminded me of how many times I have found myself discarding an idea for a story, poem or even a novel because of what the ramifications might be if my (friend, mother, neighbor, son…) read it in print. I know the subject in question would be good work because I would be so invested in it. It’s my darling, it’s something so dear to my heart…etc. etc. But writing it would be scary. It’s not just that it’s perhaps controversial. It’s that bleeding it out would open me up to criticism, possibly even ridicule. Scary? You bet.
But…maybe I should rethink that. Maybe I haven’t been trying hard enough, reaching far enough. My romance and mystery novels, even my short stories, are, I’m convinced, adequate, maybe even more than adequate. But they don’t dig deep into that murky basement of things I know. Things that might resonate with a reader in a way a mystery or romance never could. Things that won’t likely see the light of publication.
Nick’s second comment about not needing to be the best also hit home. Maybe we don’t write some things because we’re fearful they won’t be good enough. Maybe we’ve worked hard on something that won’t make that top slot, that may just end up somewhere in the middle of the slush pile.
But isn’t that better than being nowhere at all? It’s not the best, maybe, but it’s not the worst, either, and it’s worth the time I spent in writing it. Whether an editor sees its worth, or whether a reader agrees with it, enjoys or hates it isn’t important. It is. It’s real. It’s there, for better or worse. And it’s mine, darn it. It may not be THE BEST, but it’s MY best. For now. And as I grow as a writer, and as a person, my best will grow, too.
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“The Perfect Suspect” – coming out soon from Soul Mate Publishing:
Twice divorced and wary about relationships, Jen Wright buys a cabin sight-unseen in far north Wisconsin to get away to write her elusive next novel. She doesn’t expect to find her first ex-husband (but with a reconstructed face) shot to death in the bedroom. She also doesn’t expect to be attracted to handsome Deputy Ross Tyler, recently rejected by his fiancé. Like Jen, he’s unwilling to risk his heart again. Is there a chance for a relationship? Do either of them want one? She’s the perfect suspect and the blustery Sheriff isn’t going to let her forget it. When the murder gun is found in her fan, he’s even more convinced of her guilt. The PI she hires to investigate is killed; his ever-present briefcase is missing. Jen’s sure it was no accident but can’t convince the law. She realizes she’s actually living a good plot for her new novel. Unfortunately, she may have to write it from jail.